Acquiring Awareness
by Moonkea
Summary: The story of a man following in the footsteps of many more. And it wouldn't have happened if the Wachowskis got turned down by all the film studios...
1. Acquiring Awareness

Sometimes, humans become truly aware of their surroundings. They may marvel at them. They may question them. They may fight them. But true awareness is a rare occurrence. Humans quickly familiarise themselves with their surroundings and ignore the fine details. The tasks of the day do not include "marvel at a butterfly emerging from its cocoon", or "ask yourself why caterpillars needed to sprout wings anyway", and nor do they include "fight the system", because its common knowledge you cant beat it anyway. Life does not need true awareness of ones surroundings. Life needs food on the table and money in its pockets. 

But this is not the view of a certain human being. A man by the name of David H Thoreau...

"So you see, while you may be a part of the ant colony, so to speak, you are all individuals"  
"Yeah! We're all unique! Just like everyone else!"

A small group chuckle with laughter. They're watching that crazy man on the street corner again. The one who aims to instil a sense of belief into all our lives, because we are all apparently lacking belief in ourselves.

"Thank you, sir. Everyone is indeed unique. We are not all mindless zombies chained to our desks. We are not forced into this life. We make our own choices, and I am choosing to tell this to you all here today. Stand up and fight this system of control that is work and start living. Get out of this chain and be yourself"  
"You're a nutcase, mate!"

Another satisfied customer. There are many around here it seems. Here, in a city like this, every life is programmed to get an education and a job, though not necessarily in that order. There are some who want to break through this programming and experience what it's like on the outside of work, and the outside of life as we know it. Those like David...

* * *

The Heligo could only be described as a rust bucket. Once though, she was the most majestic ship Zion had seen. A strong yet agile ship - pleasing to the eye - even if it was made of cold steel and not much else.

No matter what it looked like now though, four warriors called it home. Captain Forseti, was a wise and persuasive man in his late 30s, and powerfully built but only so he could keep fit and healthy. His crew looked up to him like the older brother they never had. The other brother they always wanted to be to someone else.

Heimdall would say that he is the guardian of his captain, watching over him in both worlds – an easy task for an Insomniac. He is a man who tries to blend in and show respect to everyone. Ask first, fight later.

Vidar on the other hand is somewhat the opposite. He manages to be stylish both inside and outside of the Matrix, no matter what materials are at hand that he could wear, and always stands out in a crowd. He is very much a straight warrior, fighting what needs to be fought, when it needs to be fought.

Finally, Nescio, the Heligo's operator, born and raised in Zion like almost every other Operator. A true hacker in every sense of the word and a sour loser, should anyone be good enough to beat him.

Rarely separated, this crew has fought through everything the machines have thrown against them - even though they are fighting from within the rusty innards of a rust bucket.

Today, if such a thing as today still exists, the crew were not fighting. They were watching. The only thing on TV was green and full of unrecognisable characters, but that didn't matter. It still had its moments.

"Why does he do this day in, day out"  
"Perhaps he hopes to find someone like him. Someone like us"  
"Tell me we aren't going in to get him"  
"I can't say that. He wants out and we're going to get him out"  
"How do you know he wants out"  
"He knows that it isn't reality that bites, but his perception of it. He can see something is wrong with his world, and it's our job to show him that he's right"  
"You can't be serious. You're looking way too much into this. He doesn't even know about the Matrix - his life involves shouting on a street corner"  
"That may be. But eventually, he will shout loud enough for the system to hear, and the system will deal with him. We must reach him before the system"  
"Before the system? What, you mean the Agents"  
"Precisely"  
"You know I hate that part Forseti"  
"They hate you too, Heimdall"  
"That really is comforting"  
"Glad I could help."

The hunt is on.

* * *

A police officer is a frequent sight for David. Wherever he goes, the police are bound to follow. Today was one of those days where they would say the same old "Excuse me, sir, would you mind telling me why you are disturbing the peace" speech, to which David would reply "Because I have something to say." Or at least, that's the way the conversation started...

"You cannot have anything of value to say"  
"Nevertheless I have a right to say it"  
"Your words are not appropriate. You are disturbing the rest of us and what you have to say cannot possibly be worth disturbing us. You must stop this at once"  
"I am not protesting against you people"  
"Nor are you co-operating with us."

The conversation ended, as did the shining sunlight in David's eyes, and his world quickly faded to black and his head began to throb. He had to admire the thinking of that officer for knocking him out. He can't disturb the peace when he's not even conscious...

Hours passed and David woke up in a cell. The ramblings of a drunken man could be heard down the corridor, as could the shouting of an aggressive youth at the front desk. David's head felt a little groggy as he was pulled out and eventually set free. I guess the system felt he learnt his lesson during his brief time here. After a knock on the head its unlikely David will ever go out to a street corner and return to his ways.

Yeah right.

"Listen to me. All you have to do is learn to look at the world the way I have learned to look at it. The way we must look at it and not the way we have been told to look at it. Why do you accept what you see? Why don't you look past the surface and see things for what they really are"  
"Because that is not the way their minds work, Akio"  
"What!"

Out of nowhere, a tall man in a black leather jacket that stopped just above the knees stood before David. He was stylish from head to toe, but nothing was over the top. David would have looked into this mans eyes, had he not been wearing dark glasses with a green tint.

"How do you know that name? Nobody knows that name"  
"We've been following you and your Internet persona everywhere for some time now, Akio. It is time for you to leave this place. It's time for you to come with us."

The figure extended his left arm outwards, motioning behind him, where two more stylish figures wait near a parked car – one wearing a sharp black suit, the other in a dark red motorcycle jacket.

"Who... who are you people"  
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, Akio, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Come and listen to the music you hear"  
"What? I know I don't have taste in music but that doesn't mean I need to get into a car with a bunch of strangers"  
"Forseti! We've got company!"

The figure in the suit shouts out, the other leaps into the car and starts the engine. A wail of sirens can be heard a few blocks away.

"Akio, the time has come. Those sirens are for you"  
"What did I do"  
"It's not what you have done, but what you may do. You must get in the car."

A police car screams around the corner, heading straight for David. Pedestrians scatter in all directions. This Forseti, whoever he is, still stands in front of him, as calm as one could possibly be - unlike David, who is now close to panicking. It's not everyday that the police bother sending in police cars to get him to stop talking. Well, actually it's never happened before. This is serious.

Forseti remains rooted to the floor, while David starts to get a little hot under the collar. The police car just clips another car, slowing it down enough for these mysterious figures.

"Go! Now!"

And David runs, sprinting for the figure hurrying him towards their car. He has a sudden look over his shoulder to see Forseti's jacket catch the wind, and his arms extend with two handguns aimed at the police car.

"Is he crazy! He'll go to prison"  
"He's spent most of his life in prison"  
"What did he do"  
"Nothing. He's innocent, just like the rest of us"  
"Wha-? I don't"  
"Get in!"

David's pulled into the back seat of the car as the police car explodes a few meters in front. He looks out of the window to see chunks of metal and black smoke where his body once stood – and there is no sign of Forseti.

Eventually the sounds die down, and the smoke disperses a little. The flames still flicker and pedestrians are calling for help on their mobiles. But there is still no sign of Forseti. David starts to open the car door. In a blur, he is pulled back into the middle of the car as a fist smashes through his window.

"What the hell"  
"Agent"  
"A what!"

David stares out the now broken window to see a man in a green suit and dark glasses about to lean in and grab him. Over his head, the man who pulled him backwards holds a handgun, ready to shoot, but there is no need for it as the Agents' head jerks and slumps down the side of the car. Behind him stands Forseti, smoking gun in hand, jacket gently billowing in the wind.

The car revs into action, the smell of burning rubber starts to fill the air and Forseti jumps into the front seat. They're off.

"Can anyone tell me what is going on? Namely why you blew up a police car and then shot a guy in the back?"

He pokes his head out of the window to look back at the body of the Agent.

"And... what the... why has he turned into a business woman? Anyone"  
"Not now, Akio. We must get you out of here"  
"Yeah, of course. Because it's all my fault..."

* * *

The car journey lasted most of the afternoon. The longer it went on the older the city seemed to be, and eventually the buildings appeared to be falling apart and streets became makeshift rubbish bins.

This is a place David had never seen in person, though he'd certainly heard about it. He wasn't rich enough to live in the heart of the city, but he did have a decent apartment in an average city block. An apartment block he hasn't seen in days, after having been caught up in all of this – whatever this was.

The journey had been largely silent. David just drifted off and stared out of the broken window, reflecting on what had happened. He picked out a few words of a telephone conversation, but he didn't care what they said.

"Who's going to look after my cat? He's been"  
"Ill, yes we know, Akio. He's getting old and has heart problems"  
"So what's going to happen to him"  
"It depends what happens to you. We're here."

David had no time to work out what that meant, as the car had pulled into an alley and stopped. Everyone got out of the car and David quickly followed, unsure of it all.

The metal door was pulled open and everyone stepped in, through the hallway and up a few sets of stairs. The wallpaper got worse, most of the lights didn't work and nobody knew what the original colour of the floor was, but then nobody but David cared.

The group stepped into a room 47, which David guessed would have been exactly the same as the rooms before it and after it. What David didn't expect was to see room 47 with holes in the walls to the rooms beside it, and the whole placed full of wires and weird looking technology.

Forseti motioned Akio towards two chairs while the other two men began to get to work on the contraptions in the next room.

"Tell me. What do you see when you look on life"  
"I... I see life. I see people walk to work, I see people eating, I see cars drive endlessly down streets"  
"What do you feel"  
"I feel there is something more to it all."

The conversation continued in this mystic fashion. Voices could be heard from the other room, the odd loud sound of the outside world could be heard through the boarded up window, but David was just trying to focus on why this Foresti was asking him all this.

"I want to tell you the truth... But I do not know if you are ready for it"  
"The truth? About what"  
"Everything here. All of this. Everything you know"  
"What is the truth"  
"I cannot tell you"  
"But I'm ready for it"  
"Then I can show it to you, if you are ready. You take the blue pill, this story ends and you wake up in your bed, your cat at your feet and the sounds of the city outside the window and believe what you want to believe."

His left hand extends and opens to reveal a small blue pill. David looks on, slightly confused as to what is going on here.

"You take the red pill, and I show you what you have always felt but never seen."

His other hand extends and opens, true to his words revealing a red pill. David's gaze moves towards the dirty floorboards, as his sits motionless, contemplating it all.

"Is it true that men have become tools of their tools? That we are no longer in control"  
"Yes. To a certain extent. Akio, I am offering what you want to know"  
"But do I really want it"  
"That is your choice to make."

David's hands move up to cover his face, eventually resting them on his cheeks, his elbows now being pushed into the armrests of the chair to support his head.

"You have the chance to live the life you have imagined living, Akio. What will you do?"

There is no response. Instead, slowly, David extends his right arm and hovers it over the blue pill. He stares at it, his fingers twitching slightly.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams."

David looks up towards Foresti, and moves his hand to pick up the red pill. He stares at it for a few moments, and then looks towards a glass on the small desk to the side of the room, eventually picking it up.

"A toast to the truth."

And Foresti smiles.


	2. Beyond Boundaries

"So are truest life was when we were dreaming"  
"Yes. But there are people who wanted to wake from that dream. People like you"  
"We have to do something about this"  
"Like what"  
"I don't know, can't we just free everyone"  
"If only it were that simple, Akio"  
"Well what about altering the program in some way"  
"You want to hack the very core of the Matrix?" 

Akio was startled slightly. That voice wasn't Forseti's, it came from the air. No, of course it didn't come from the air, it was Nescio. This is all happening inside our minds. Akio remembers he is still inside the Construct, which now looks like an empty office block looking out over the city. He is still getting used to what is real and what isn't.

"It can't be done. None of us are strong enough to alter the Matrix itself, and as such we don't even try."

And with that the conversation stopped. Akio's head dropped for a moment.

"Okay, Nescio. We're done here."

And as Akio looked up out onto the city, the walls, floors, desks and everything else folded in on itself, and everything went white, and then the light faded into rust. They were back in the real world.

* * *

"He's on the 7th floor"  
"Negative – subject sighted on the 4th floor, heading"  
"He's on the 6th"  
"Damn it! Secure each stairway and shut off the elevators. Nobody comes in, nobody goes out"  
"Having trouble Lieutenant?"

A tall figure stepped out of an unmarked car, heading towards the scene, soon followed by two more.

"With you people here someone believes we are"  
"Yes, evidently"  
"We're cutting power to the elevat--" "That won't be enough"  
"What do you mean"  
"Have your men get out of here, Lieutenant. We'll deal with the situation." "You'll deal with it? Hah! You can try."

And with that, the three suits walked off towards the building.

They got to the front doors as the remainder of the men inside stepped out, not knowing what to make of it all – it was one target and they couldn't catch him. They were 20 strong and he ran away from them all, so what difference would three men in suits make?

"Have we found him"  
"Yes, but we cannot pinpoint him to one location"  
"He keeps moving."

And in silence, they split up, each gently pressing on their earpieces while striding through the building, checking all the rooms and all the hiding places. An orderly sweep of a grid based building. To them it was a walk in the park, but they are not quite the walking through the park type...

"He's stopped"  
"9th floor."

* * *

The boy was alone, in a dark corridor. The walls flashed red and blue through the window at the end, and the dirty raindrops made an interesting pattern on the walls. It was a moment of beauty in a corridor that was far from it, with rubbish gathering in piles outside most of the doors and cardboard boxes in use as a makeshift carpet in places.

"So you're the trouble maker..."

A suited man walked around the corner, further down the hall. The boy froze on the spot, his eyes shifting about until they settled on a door to the side. The way out of here. Another man walked around the corner, and soon a third.

"Come with us."

And the boy darted towards the door, not knowing where it would lead but knowing it was his only chance out of here. He opened it, leapt through and slammed the door shut, and as he did, a quick flash of light emerged through the keyhole, and the gaps between the door and its frame.

The men went to investigate, pulling the door open. An empty room. And no matter how much searching went on, there was no boy to be found. Nothing out the window, nothing hiding in the closet, no holes through to other rooms.

All the men could do was look at each other.

* * *

Akio had taken an interest in watching the Matrix, even naming the screens 'Tilly', 'Tom' and 'Tiny', after a television show he watched as a child back home, or at least what he once called home. He would sit in the operators seat most of time, a fact Vidar turned to his advantage.

"Akio, you can take my watch if you want it."

Akio mumbled in acknowledgement, eyes focused on the screens.

"Yes. Well, I'm off to get my beauty sleep then"  
"Whatever Vidar, but that chick in the red dress doesn't care what you look like"  
"Shut up."

They always say that 'there is way too much information to decode the Matrix', and it's true, but you can pick out certain strings of code. You can spot the people from the programs, for example, and the more Akio watched, the more strings he took in. Perhaps it was his way of passing the time. Heimdall couldn't understand how he could spend that much time in front of the Matrix... he thought he was the insomniac...

"Hey, Nescio. There's a lot of Agent activity here."

Nescio was pulled away from repairing one of the chairs and stood behind Akio.

"I don't see anyone else though. The building is empty"  
"What do you mean"  
"Three Agents have been wondering around this building but there isn't anyone else in it"  
"Move over."

Nescio nudges Akio out of the chair and starts tapping a number of seemingly random keys on the keyboard – Akio never bothered looking at the keyboards. Doing so now he realises half of the keys aren't even recognisable.

"Well, nobody has an operating hardline there, so they can't be looking for anything like that... Are you sure there are no people here"  
"Positive"  
"Then what's that?"

Nescio turned to Akio and motioned towards the main screen, where a human string had just reached the bottom and started to slip off.

"Are you going to trace it?"

Nescio fell back into his chair, hit a few keys and let the Matrix do the rest. It scanned for the human string and it found the human string. He swivelled around to face Akio.

"Akio, it looks like there are more than three bodies inside this building after all"  
"Nescio, it looks like you lost the trace"  
"What"  
"The human has disappeared."

* * *

The boy opened the door and stepped through. Further down the corridor were two suited men sweeping through the rooms. The same men from before. They both turned at the same time.

"There he is"  
"Get him."

Panicking, he ran away, down a nearby stairwell. The men gave chase, getting to the stairs as the boy just reached the floor below. He rounded one corner straight into another man, standing in the middle of the corridor, almost expecting him.

He turned and fled, forgetting the man coming down the stairs, narrowly missing his reach as he ran past him and down another corridor.

He dived into a doorway and shut it behind him. Light emerged from the keyhole, and the gaps between the door and its frame. One of the men ripped it open with force – enough to rip it from its hinges.

The room was empty.

Through gritted teeth, the man ordered the others to "Find him and destroy him."

* * *

"Where did he go, Nes"  
"I dunno. He just vanished"  
"Run another search"  
"What do you think I'm doing, Akio?"

The commotion drew Vidar and Heimdall to the operators' chair.

"What have we got"  
"We don't know, other than a human who keeps disappearing"  
"Can't you run a search"  
"Why yes Vidar, what a good idea. Let me run a search."

Nescio paused for a second, shook his head slightly and sighed.

"Hey, come on Nes, do your job"  
"That's easy for you to say. You lot think it's all about hitting the Start button"  
"It is"  
"Yeah, that and single-handedly looking after the ship and all its occupants while they sit on their ars"  
"Hey, he's back!" blurted Akio, and sure enough the human was back.

* * *

"Come on. You can do it... You can do it... Go!"

And the boy sprinted across the hall in front of him, in fear of seeing another one of those men. Leaping into another door he closed it shut. The room became so bright that it hurt his eyes, and everything blurred into one – tables, chairs, books all disappeared in the light.  
It lasted seconds and the light began to dim once more, revealing a different set of furniture, different ornaments. A different room.

He opened the door and emerges exactly where he wanted. The ground floor, near the back door...

* * *

"He's out of building"  
"What now Captain? Are we going in?"

Forseti paused briefly before nodding. Heimdall and Vidar got to their chairs and got ready, as Nescio began tapping away, starting to monitor the rest of the crew.

Forseti pointed Akio to his chair before whispering something into Nescio's ear. Nescio nodded and continued at his keyboard, looking around at screens either side of the main three.

Everyone was ready in a minute or so. All were plugged in, awaiting Nescio to work his magic.

"And the Captain said: 'Let there be the Matrix', and there was the Matrix..."


	3. Constructing Connections

Akio closed his eyes, knowing that when he reopened them they wouldn't be real. The real ones would still be shut back in the real world. 

The transition between reality and virtual reality was bright, but not blinding. Soon his eyes adjusted, but could not focus. There was nothing to focus on. Everywhere Akio turned was white. He'd been here before. Everyone's been inside the construct, but now everyone should be in the Matrix.

Akio padded his pockets, eventually pressing a mobile phone against his ribs.

"Nescio, what's going on? Why am I here"  
"Captains orders, Akio. You aren't ready for the real deal yet"  
"What do you mean"  
"You'll find out soon enough"  
"What am I supposed to do now"  
"Whatever you want."

Akio paused and his head sank.

"Get me out."

* * *

"Dead end!"

The boy slapped his hands on the wall at the bottom of the alley.

"There are no doors for you now."

He spun around, and right in the middle of the alley were the three men following him through the building.

"Who are you"  
"I'm Jensen. Agent Jensen"  
"What do you want?"

The agents took slow steps forward, closing the gap between themselves and their prey.

"We are here for you, Mr. Sokolow"  
"What for"  
"We no longer need you."

They reached into their jackets and removed Desert Eagles, aiming them towards the boy. He covered his head and crouched up against the wall when he heard another voice.

"That won't be necessary, gentlemen."

* * *

Akio's eyes saw the rust. He was back, not that he went very far.

"Hey, Akio, you know I was only following orders."

Akio didn't respond. Instead, he sat up in his chair, looked around at the floor, barely tilting his head up to acknowledge Nescio. He was a man desperate to re-enter the Matrix and do something, and his time had still not come.

"Why are you so down? I can't even jack in. You know how much I envy these guys?"

Akio let a small smile slip out the corner of his mouth. Nescio could only see its code, and would never actually experience it for himself.

"Get your ass off the seat and compose yourself. Your time will come. Forseti is only doing this to protect you."

Akio grabbed Nescio's hand and pulled himself up. He looked down upon Foresti as the captain lay in his chair, only his mind active. He looked back at Nescio and whispered "Thanks", before leaving and heading off towards his room.

* * *

"And who do we have here?"

The Agents heads turned around to look at this new figure, their weapons still aimed towards the boy.

"You know who I am"  
"Yes, yes we do"  
"Captain Forseti"  
"What brings you here?"

Forseti took a step forward, taking him into a spot of light, allowing both Heimdall and Vidar to be seen by the Agents. They lowered their weapons to their sides.

"This boy. You do not need to kill him"  
"Do you know any alternatives"  
"Are you willing to negotiate"  
"For what? You and the rest of your kind have nothing we need"  
"We can take this child off your hands"  
"We were just about to do that ourselves"  
"I did not mean killing him"  
"No, of course not. You humans stick together, whereas we machines just complete the command"  
"The trace has been completed"  
"We have them all."

* * *

Alarms sounded through the Heligo and Akio leaped straight out of his room, alert and ready.

"Sentinels. We've been found"  
"What do we do"  
"Grab this."

Nescio pulled a bulky piece of machinery off the wall and handed it to Akio.

"If the excrement hits the air-con, point and shoot"  
"Uh, okay. What about everyone else"  
"They need protecting until I can get them out."

Nescio leapt into his chair and tapped away at the keyboard, soon starting a phone call to Forseti.

"Captain, we've got Sentin"  
"Yes. We know"  
"Any ideas"  
"Prepare an exit."

Nescio was already on it as a map flashed up on another screen, soon pinpointing a hardline.

"Got it, to your west, top floor of the Tower Apartments"  
"Good."

The call ended. All Nescio had to do was wait. He looked around to find that Akio had wondered off towards the bridge.

"Hey! Akio! Get back here"  
"Look. They've stopped"  
"What"  
"The sentinels have stopped."

* * *

"Prepare an exit"  
"Why leave now"  
"We're not finished yet."

Forseti put his phone back in his jacket pocket.

"We've stopped the Sentinels"  
"Why"  
"You wanted to negotiate"  
"But you didn't"  
"We may be able to change that"  
"Give us the boy. We will remove him from the system"  
"So he can join your cause to overthrow it"  
"You know that is not possible"  
"Yes. Zion and its people have never stopped the Matrix"  
"Zion"  
"We know of Zion, Forseti. Why do you think we broadcast the signal?"

Forseti looked down towards the ground, his brow pushed down in confused thought.

"How many people have you freed? How many times have to gone deep into the fields, towards the towers to get to their bodies before they are liquidised? We've been watching. We've been keeping count. We have seen every ship enter and every ship leave. We have allowed them to leave."

Heimdall step forward and spoke out while Forseti was still deep in thought.

"You let us out of the Matrix"  
"Yes. The ones who want out will get out"  
"Why are you agents still here then"  
"You have been getting people out who haven't wanted out. We have kept our end of the deal, but you have not kept yours"  
"What deal"  
"Oh, it happened long ago, before you had to rebuild Zion"  
"Between who"  
"It doesn't matter; what matters is that Mr Sokolow here does not know about this place. And neither did Mr Thoreau"  
"He was aware. He saw through the lies."

Forseti gathered his head and entered the conversation.

"That's where you're wrong, Forseti. He saw things differently, yes, but he did not see through the lies until you pushed him into making the all important decision, didn't you"  
"And still you let us take him from under your noses"  
"We couldn't have him back in the system after you're views were imposed on him. It's better to lose one battery than to lose however many more may have believed, had he told them"  
"What about this boy? What do you want with him"  
"He has quite a talent. We don't know how he does it, but we do know that we do not want him doing it anymore"  
"And so you're going to kill him"  
"Yes"  
"Not while we are here."

Forseti stepped forward, determined, and was closely followed by Heimdall.

"As you wish, human."

The Agents raised their weapons towards Forseti, who leapt up and above all of them, revealing Heimdall with an MP5K in hand. He wasted no time and proceeded to fire at will at the Agents, knowing they would dodge all the bullets and that Forseti and the boy were behind them, in the firing line.

Forseti scooped the boy under his arm while Vidar took over from Heimdall to keep pressure on the Agents.

"Where are you taking me"  
"Anywhere but here. Let's go."

Forseti got as close to the walls at the sides as possible to avoid being hit, but soon it wouldn't matter. The Agents stopped dodging and fell to the floor, riddled with bullet holes, soon changing back into dead pedestrians.

"We must go, now"  
"What are we going to do with him"  
"I don't know."

* * *

Forseti's mobile phone bleeped into life.

"Are we being followed"  
"I'm not seeing any Agents from here"  
"What about the Sentinels"  
"They've left. Just turned and went"  
"Hmm. Top floor"  
"First room on your right"  
"We can hear it."

Vidar opened the door to the apartment with a swift kick and looked into a messy room whose occupant had recently left, whoever it was. A few discarded Pizza boxes on the floor, a newspaper on the chair, and a ringing phone on the desk.

Forseti took the boy to one side before entering.

"Kid"  
"Janus. My name is Janus"  
"Well Janus, we must leave now."

Vidar's image faded as he was pulled through the phone line.

"Like that"  
"It's the only way we can"  
"I must show you something first."

The captain looked puzzled as Janus led him to the next apartment door. The phone started ringing again, and soon Heimdall picked it up. Forseti just heard the receiver drop to the floor before Janus told him to enter the room.

"Watch."

Janus closed the door and the room filled with light. Even behind a pair of shades Forseti's eyes closed to lessen the effects, but it was over in a matter of seconds. The contents of the room changed. Everything felt light and airy, and the dominant colour was blue.

"Here. Open the door."

Forseti walked over to the door handle and pulled it open. White. Everywhere.

"Where are we"  
"This is my room"  
"What's out there"  
"Whatever I want, if I can do it"  
"What do you mean?"

Janus stepped over to close the door. The same white flash occurred, and the door was soon open again. Behind it was a dry, dusty landscape. No built up city and no blackened earth or sky. Forseti hadn't seen anything like it with his own eyes, or his virtual ones.

"I use doors to hop from place to place"  
"Any place"  
"If it's inside the programming, yes. And if I can access it"  
"How do you mean"  
"I couldn't get to my room when those men were chasing me. There was too much happening for the system to move me anywhere else and so I remained inside the building. But when they left, I had more to work with"  
"So, as long as the system isn't busy... you can move through it at will? Anywhere"  
"As long as there's a door"  
"Why did you try to get to your room? Why not emerge in another part of the city"  
"Because my room isn't in the city."

Janus closed the door once more. By now Forseti was used to the flash of light.

"Where is it"  
"Outside of the system. Like an external hard drive, or a loading program."

The door was opened, revealing once more a blank white nothingness.

"The construct"  
"Yes. And that phone call is for you."

A phone sat atop a desk, identical to the apartment desk, even down to the scraps of paper left on it.

"How did you learn you could do this"  
"I was told"  
"By whom"  
"The Oracle."

Forseti's head turned slightly, as if to say 'are you sure?', but there was no reason to not believe Janus now. He stepped out, towards the ringing phone.

"I know someone who can get a key made for you. It'll bring you straight to my room. When you get it, I'll have made another door that'll bring you here. No more dangerous hardlines, eh?"

Forseti stopped.

"No. No more hardlines. Thank you Janus."

The door shut and Forseti turned around. Blank, white nothingness. As there always was. He picked up the phone and jacked out.


	4. Dojo Duel

Forseti's eyes opened and the sounds of clanking metal at the back of his head told him he could sit up. 

"Where did the boy go? I haven't got a trace on him"  
"He's safe. He's in a place of his own, away from trouble"  
"What about us? Should we leave in case more sentinels come looking"  
"Yes. Let's head home."

Forseti stood up and walked off towards his quarters, passing the blank and silent faces of his crew.

"Captain"  
"Akio"  
"Why wasn't I allowed inside? I'm ready, I've trained, I've"  
"Got more important things to think about"  
"What do you mean"  
"It's not just about training, or feeling ready to go back inside. You have to know why you're going back"  
"To help you guys out"  
"It's not as simple as that. It's not the reason you're here"  
"Then why am I here"  
"Only one person knows the answer to that question, and it is not you or me, or anyone on this ship. You will find out who it is in time."

Forseti's pace quickened as he drew closer to his door.

"Am I even meant to be here?"

Forseti paused in his doorway, one hand ready to pull it closed, his head pointing down towards the floor. He soon looked up, into his room, stepped in and the conversation was over.

* * *

Slowly the Heligo's cockpit came to life, screens came on, lights flashed and holographics showed a map of the immediate area. Nescio took his role as pilot, with Heimdall sat beside him, checking over switches, levers and screens.

"It's clear. Home is about 40 minutes away"  
"40? You know me, Heimdall"  
"Home is about 30 minutes away"  
"That's more like it"  
"Yeah, just don't go and knock off anything important"  
"You better not mess up on the calculations then, huh"  
"Just get going."

The ship floated up slightly before emerging from its hole in the sewer wall, gathering speed until its stern flicked out passed the rock and swung the ship around. Its pads hummed into life, each glowing a brilliant blue before sparking off the nearby walls and slowly propelling the Heligo forward.

"Follow this until Junction 12, swing a right for 3 miles, and then take the left all the way to Gate 2"  
"Just shout when I need to turn."

And with that, the Heligo launched forward, down the sewer tunnel.

* * *

Akio wandered back through the ship, not really knowing where to go or what to do. Vidar met him down one of the corridors.

"Hey, what are you getting yourself so down for"  
"I just wanted to go back. Now I may be waiting a lot longer"  
"Take your mind off it. Think of something else"  
"Like what"  
"I don't know. How about defending yourself against me?"

Akio raised his fists.

"Well, I'm sure we could fight here, but the Captain won't like blood being spilt. I was thinking inside the Dojo"  
"Oh, yeah. Sure"  
"The Dojo's the only place you'll have a chance at beating me"  
"Hey!"

Vidar pushed open the door to Akio's room.

"Lie back. Plug in. I'll see you on the inside."

* * *

"There's something wrong with Forseti"  
"Like what"  
"Those Agents knew too much about him"  
"They're Agents. They are meant to know things about you guys"  
"Yeah, but they aren't meant to know about Zion, or how we sneak into the power plant"  
"What"  
"Keep your eyes on the sewers, Nes!"

The Heligo wobbled as Nescio regained control.

"How do they know"  
"I don't know. Even they get their orders from someone or something higher up. Maybe they exist in both worlds. You know they have control over the sentinels"  
"But we haven't come across a whole load of them"  
"Normally they don't look for us. We aren't a problem"  
"We're not a problem? Heimdall, we steal bodies from under their noses. How are we not a problem"  
"Junction 12 up ahead. Turn right"  
"I'm on it."

The Heligo gracefully slid around the corner at Junction 12, its pads lighting up the walls for a moment before the sewers straightened out once more.

"They said something about a deal. They let us go free if we want to go free and they leave everyone else alone. Including Zion"  
"Sounds like we've got the better end of the deal then"  
"But we don't. The Matrix is growing. It's more than just a city now. It's more believable. People don't want to leave"  
"Akio wanted to leave. He didn't think it was so believable"  
"Apparently, Akio did think so. They said he didn't want to get out."

Nescio went quiet.

"What? Why the sudden silence"  
"Akio... He's desperate to get back inside"  
"Yeah, but not to go back and stay back..."

Nescio wasn't sure what to think. It rubbed off on Heimdall too, who started to look around at the controls much more than he usually did.

The cockpit was silent.

* * *

Akio fell to the floor and groaned, out of breath.

"Come on, Akio. That was a simple kick"  
"That was the 22nd simple kick"  
"Then you really have got something troubling you"  
"No. Nothing's troubling me"  
"Hmm. Well, tell me how you could have avoided the 22nd simple kick that has landed on your torso"  
"Uh..."

Akio had regained strength and pulled his arms back towards his head and pushed himself up, perhaps wishing he politely said 'no' to Vidar back in the Heligo.

"You could have jumped, ducked, spun to the sides, kicked it back, pushed it out of the way... Akio, where are you"  
"I'm in the Dojo"  
"Where is the Dojo"  
"Uh, a program inside my head"  
"Where is your body"  
"Anywhere but here"  
"Then why are you still using it?"

Akio gave a puzzled look and raised his arms to look at them.

"No plugs. That is not your body. That merely represents your body, and it will do whatever you tell it to do, as long as your head is screwed on"  
"Forseti never said it that clearly"  
"That's because this way of thinking gets people killed. The idea that you're in a videogame and that no harm will come to you"  
"Is it the way you think"  
"No. But it's the way I teach"  
"Then I want a replacement teacher"  
"Hah! Well, we'll see what we can do."

Vidar exploded into life, leaping forward into the air, right foot aimed towards Akio's face. Akio wasn't ready, but did the first thing that came to his head, and leaped backwards, into a back flip.

His head was safe, and his legs came up to take its place, knocking into Vidar's outstretched limb and sending it up into the air.

Now both fighters were in a back flip, Akio coming down to land first, and as soon as his feet touched the floor, he bounced up off them into a jumping reverse roundhouse, at head height.

Vidar had landed and proceeded to straighten out, having no knowledge of Akio's attack until he could see it an inch away from his head. He ended up crashing through a wooden pillar to his left.

"Vidar?"

He groaned and dusted himself off.

"What did you do that for"  
"I was learning"  
"Yeah, sure..."

Vidar stood up and walked over to Akio.

"What, uh... what disc is that move on? Nescio must have skipped it"  
"Heh, it wasn't. I did whatever I told myself to do"  
"Good job. But it won't happen again."

And the fight continued.

* * *

"How far"  
"Uh, only a mile or two Captain"  
"Good. When we get there, I want this ship back up to full strength as soon as possible"  
"Of course."

The arrival of Forseti caught Heimdall and Nescio by surprise. He seemed in no mood to deal with his crew, but to just think over what has gone on and what may happen.

"Forseti... do you know what this deal was that the Agents were on about?"

Nescio didn't get an immediate reply as he rounded the final corner of the journey home.

"I... don't know"  
"They mentioned Ak"  
"I know, Heimdall, but I still don't know why"  
"I'm sorry, Captain."

He left almost as soon as he came, leaving Nescio and Heimdall to think amongst themselves.

"I've never seen him like this, Nes"  
"Something has got to him. Something important. Something he's not telling us"  
"No. He doesn't know what's going on himself, how can he be hiding something"  
"How should I know"  
"Let's just leave it. Next time we're out we'll probably be taking Akio to see the Oracle. Maybe she'll have something to say about all this"  
"I hope your right. I don't want to watch him lose it in the middle of something."

* * *

"Hey, Vidar. Why am I here"  
"What"  
"Why was it me who Forseti picked up"  
"Captain told us you were getting closer to the truth. There's no reason to wait. Any longer and you might have stayed inside a cell for longer than a night, if you catch my drift..."

Akio let out a quick burst of punches, with a few landing on Vidar. Akio was improving in this little spar.

"Forseti said there's only one person who could tell me why I'm here"  
"And he's right."

Vidar let loose a series of kicks, but Akio was getting better and avoiding them.

"Who"  
"The Oracle"  
"Who"  
"Heh. That was my reaction too. You'll meet soon enough, when Forseti says so"  
"I wish he'd hurry up with that."

Akio watched the pattern of kicks in front of him and flipped up and over Vidar, slapping him on the back of the head before ending up just short of ten feet behind him.

"Oi"  
"You've got to think outside the box you call a head, Vidar"  
"I'm the teacher here"  
"You've taught me well. But now I'm the master..."

Vidar stopped. With a grit of his teeth though, he was off again. He dived forward and twisted his body. He was horizontal over the floor, his face staring the ceiling. Akio didn't know where the attack was coming from, and shuffled back slightly, arms raised and waiting.

Vidar arched his back, his hands slapped the floor and his legs kicked up, and they kicked with so much force that they carried his body upwards, in front of Akio. Akio wasn't ready. He sure wasn't expecting anything like this from the straight forward Vidar.

He sailed upside down, his head just lower than Akio's was. Akio saw the chance and punched for Vidar's face, but missed, as his opponent kept on rising.

Soon, Vidar was bent above Akio, who was now spinning around to see what was going on. Bad move. Vidar's legs had since come round to kick Akio. This would hurt. Even if Akio got to block it, it would hurt.

Akio got his arms across his face, but Vidar's foot had broken through the makeshift defence and connected with Akio's jaw, sending him stumbling backwards, and leaving Vidar to fall gently to the floor.

"No, Akio. You're still the student"  
"I bet."

Akio was flat on his back, rubbing his jaw.

"Akio, I never touched your jaw"  
"It's my jaw, I know whether you kicked it or not"  
"Akio. I'm in a different room to you"  
"  
"It's going to hurt when you wake up – unless you know that this place isn't real. Speaking of waking up, we must be close to home by now. See you outside."

Akio saw the Dojo ceiling disappear and the rust reappear and his door creaked open.

"You're jaw hurts, doesn't it"  
"Yeah."


	5. Ensured Entry

The Heligo slowed down to a crawl, with Gate 2 being hauled open a few hundreds meters down the tunnel. 

"Heligo, you are cleared through Gate 2 to Bay 3"  
"Roger that, Control"  
"Welcome home"  
"Home, sweet home."

The Heligo floated through the doors into the dock, where two more ships were docked - the large, bulky Jotun and the defensive battship, Vigrond. The Jotun was under heavy repairs with many of its pads being worked on, some being replaced altogether.

"Well, Akio. This is your new home"  
"It's huge"  
"You haven't seen the half of it."

Nescio swung the ship around to dock, following the directions of the ground crew, rather than Heimdall. People began to run around, some with hoses and others with boxes of supplies, but all waiting in position and on cue to get to work on the Heligo.

"You know what to do guys"  
"Yes, Captain. Full strength, as soon as possible"  
"I'm sorry for not being my usual self, but maybe this time away from the Matrix will allow me to gather my thoughts"  
"So you're not coming to the temple then"  
"We shall see, Nes. We shall see."

* * *

Forseti knocked on the bright red door that stood in front of him, waiting for an answer. He didn't have to wait long when it open before him, and a face appeared showing a friendly smile. 

"It's been a long time, Forseti"  
"It has indeed, Dani"  
"Come. Sit. Make yourself at home."

Dani shut the door behind him, his long robe catching the air and floating out of the way. His home hadn't changed much since Forseti was last here – it just got more colourful, with various ornaments hanging off the walls and taking up table space.

"I have had a dream that troubles me, Forseti. And I want to know what it means"  
"I want to know what it means too"  
"You seem lost. You cannot grasp any of this, can you?"

Dani sat down opposite Forseti and leaned forward, his words whispering out of his mouth.

"Why did you do it? Why did you free him"  
"I saw potential in him"  
"But it was you who made the first move, wasn't it?"

Forseti looked at Dani, and not at the ground.

"What did they say"  
"They said... that there was a deal. Those who want out get out... and that we have not kept up our end of the deal"  
"And they fret over one mind? A mind that, as you put it, had potential, and so had to be freed"  
"A mind that, as they put it, wouldn't be good to keep inside the system."

Dani almost slumped back into his chair. He could not figure it out, no matter how hard he tried.

"As much as I'd like to, I can't help you, Forseti. You'll have to go and see her."

* * *

The Heligo was ready, just as Forseti had asked, and it sat in the dock awaiting its next trip through the sewers. As for the crew, there were things to do, people to see, and a new member to introduce to all those they knew. 

"Come on, Akio. Let us find you a place to sleep."

The elevator doors closed behind them, as small smiles started to spread across their faces. The mood was relaxed and the smooth descent of the elevator was a welcome feeling, when compared with Nescios Piloting.

"I wonder how Ozanne is doing"  
"Heimdall, would you give her up already? She dumped you. Get over it"  
"At least I've actually known a special someone, Vidar. Unlike the woman in the"  
"Don't say it"  
"You mean the one in the red dress"  
"Shut up, Nes. You're not helping."

Akio managed a brief chuckle, but he was more concerned with trying to catch glimpses of whatever appeared through the gaps in the walls, but couldn't make anything out.

"No, seriously though, you think she still remembers me"  
"Of course she does. You're her ex"  
"I don't know how I put up with you."

The elevator slowed down to a stop, with the slight bounce upon its arrival. The doors swept open to reveal a dark tunnel, not unlike the sewers themselves. At the other end, only a few meters further was the other end of the tunnel, opening out both left and right.

Everyone gathered their bags off the floor and walked down.

"Akio. Welcome to Zion. Don't fall over the wall"  
"What do you... whoa!"

* * *

"Will I be seeing you at the Temple later on?" 

Forseti paused in the doorway and turned around.

"Yes. I think you will."

He let out a smile, the kind of smile from one old friend to another. They shook hands, patted each others backs and thanked each other for their chat.

"It's good to have you back, Forseti"  
"It's good to see you too. Take care"  
"I always do. Here, take this."

Dani took a step to the right and bent down to the table, picking up a small black trinket that looked like various animals mixed together, its eventual form resembling an elephant without a trunk and, or a bull without its horns.

"Here. Use it to clear your mind. Or to free your mind, as you say"  
"I will. Thanks again, Dani."

And Forseti walked out and looked out onto Zion, before staring at his gift, smiling and walking off towards his room.

* * *

Akio had almost lost his sense of direction, with the exception of up and down. They had crossed so many bridges and taken so many turns that he just stuck to the task of following them and hoping to not lose them among the crowds. 

"Here we go. This is your place now, Akio. Room 2305. Don't forget that"  
"I don't plan to"  
"Heimdall is in room 2335, over there."

Nescio pointed off in the distance, but with every door being the same red, Akio had no idea which one it was from here.

"I'm a few floors downstairs, and Vidar sleeps on peoples floors"  
"What do you mean by that"  
"I mean you're in his room that he hasn't used for years"  
"What if he needs to use it"  
"I don't know. Just get in, look around. Get to know this place before we leave again. I'll be back in a few hours."

Akio was too busy nodding and smiling at everyone who greeted him to ask Nescio why he'd be back, and before he knew it Nescio had left, heading for the set of stairs.

The door opened slowly, showing a bare metal room with a bed, two chairs and a table. There was nothing else interesting to look at, but at least there were more people to look at here than back on the Heligo.

"Greetings!"

The voice came from an elderly woman who had walked into the room with a basket of food.

"Who might we have here then"  
"I, uh, I'm Akio"  
"Nice to meet you, Akio. I'm Myra"  
"Hi"  
"Yes, well, come on, have something to eat. I know what you're already sick of eating that goopy stuff they have on the ships"  
"You've been on the ships"  
"Heavens no. No, I'm not one for ships, no. But my daughter is on one of them"  
"Is she an Operator"  
"No, no, she's like yourself. She's not my real daughter, you know what I mean, but she needed someone and she found me. She was young when she was freed"  
"What's her name"  
"Ozanne. I'll have to introduce you some time"  
"Ozanne. I'll, uh, I'll listen out for it. Thanks for the food"  
"You're welcome, uh"  
"Akio"  
"Yes, sorry. Akio. Bye now"  
"Bye."

The door clunked closed.

* * *

Forseti's walk down to the Temple was slow and steady, passing some familiar faces on the way. He had managed to get his trinket from Dani attached to a simple wristband, with the help of some kids to pick out the colour. They didn't know him, and he didn't know them, but Forseti had no reason to argue with children, and the friendly atmosphere of everyone helped to calm his mind down. 

Forseti stood before the Temple entrance and removed his shoes, placing them where almost every other shoe in Zion was currently placed. He walked through the great entrance, dipping his head to all those who pass, and returning a smile to those who smiled towards him.

He soon stepped through into the Temple itself and made his way towards the other captains and crew members, even though they were low on numbers.

"Forseti"  
"Wadlow"  
"Any news"  
"Nothing out of the ordinary. What happened to your pads"  
"Aasen thought he could pilot the ship. Turns out Aasen was wrong"  
"Yeah, and I'm sorry, alright?."

Forseti turned around to see Aasen, a tall man like the rest of his crew, apart from their Operator, Gul. A few of that crew were chuckling to themselves besides him. Aasen sure wasn't going to forget this in a hurry.

"Forseti, we've noticed some strange things recently. A bunch of Programs not running right, more Agent activity than usual... Something sure is going on."

Forseti glanced down at his wrist, and at the trinket before looking back up towards Wadlow.

"It will end. Give it some time"  
"I hope your right. Still, it keeps me on my toes."

He raised his voice to make sure Aasen could hear the next part.

"Not that we're going anywhere."

He broke out into a grin.

"Wadlow, the way you treat your crew"  
"The way I treat my crew? Have you seen Vidar?"

Wadlow pointed to a group over near the wall... with Vidar propped up against it, sleeping, and being draped with bits of clothing, necklaces and whatever else can hang off his fingers or be placed up his nose.

"What can I do with him, Wadlow"  
"I don't know... join in?"

* * *

Akio saw Nescio climb the stairs to his left. By this point he'd walked around his level, meeting the neighbours and learning more about his new home, and always looking up and down, trying to see the scale of it all. 

"Are you ready"  
"For what"  
"The Temple gathering. There's no better place on Earth." "What do I need"  
"Nothing special. A few dance moves"  
"Dance moves? What for"  
"... Dancing?"

Nescio spotted Heimdall jogging towards them, skipping past people emerging from doors or picking baskets and boxes up off the floor.

"Let's go, Nes"  
"What about Vidar"  
"Akio, Vidar is probably down there already."

And with that they started walking off, down towards the Temple.

In between more greetings from seemingly everyone, Akio told Heimdall about his meeting with Myra.

"Myra, eh? Did she stop talking"  
"Uh, yeah. You know her then"  
"Of course he does, Akio. She likes him more than Ozanne did"  
"No, Nes. Myra's... that sort of friendly person, that's all"  
"Sure she is..."

Heimdall shook his head, trying to shrug the comments off. A minute or so later, the Temple entrance was upon them, and they were inside and heading to meet up with Forseti.

* * *

"Everything is ready, Forseti"  
"Good. Enjoy the party"  
"We plan to. Have you seen Vidar here"  
"Who hasn't." 

Forseti pointed and let out a hearty chuckle, with everyone else soon joining in.

"Akio, there's someone looking for you"  
"Who"  
"Oh, I'm sure Heimdall will point her out for you"  
"Ozanne"  
"Did he tell you or did you bump into Myra"  
"Both"  
"Well. Here we are. Welcome to Zion"  
"Thank you for bringing me here."

Forseti once again glanced down at his trinket.

"It's a pleasure."

He turned to walk off towards the crew off the Vigrond, leaving Akio to stare out over the mass of people on the Temple floor, their conversations echoing everywhere, their faces only showing happiness.

"So you're Akio?"

Akio turned around. Before him stood a blonde, her shoulder leaning on the wall, arms folded in front of her and a gentle smile across her face. He could sense this blonde being smarter than he was, and definitely faster and more agile, both here and in the Matrix.

"Yeah, I'm Akio"  
"Ozanne"  
"Yes, I had a feeling"  
"How's Heimdall doing"  
"He wonders if you still remember him"  
"Of course I do. But we've moved on now. Being separated like we were doesn't make for a good relationship"  
"I can imagine"  
"Still, we're not here to look back on the past. We're here to party. Let me introduce you to the dance floor."

Akio had to think on his feet, never having danced before and in the mood to keep it that way, no matter what the mood of the Temple was. His memories from the Matrix were of him watching people dance from the bar stool, and no closer.

"Uh, I'd rather be introduced to this stalagmite, here"  
"Can't dance"  
"Too many left feet"  
"It doesn't matter. Jumping is just as good. Come on."


	6. Fated Future?

"That... that may take some time getting used to"  
"There'll be many more occasions to do so, Akio"  
"Yeah, I bet." 

Akio wobbled from left to right slightly as he walked back to the members of the crews who didn't dance, mostly the captains.

"So, what's next for you guys"  
"I don't know. I just follow everyone else"  
"Yeah. Life's like that."

Akio looked out onto the jumping mass of people, the pounding drums vibrating through his body. This was something special. For many of them this is all they have known, but for others - the members of the hovercraft crews – the gathering removes all the pressures of the dangerous world they visit so that even more people can enjoy the party.

"Akio."

He turned around to look at Forseti.

"It's time you had some answers. We'll be leaving for them tomorrow night, so you may want to get some rest"  
"Will I be going back in"  
"Yes. You will be."

* * *

Ozanne walked Akio back to his level, talking about her past all the way. She was an athlete, a sprinter over 200 meters, the best in the world. They accused her of taking performance enhancing drugs because nobody could catch her. The results were negative of course. Her head had done all the work. 

"I ran all those races in my mind. I soon found out that was quite literally what happened to every one of us"  
"How did you get out"  
"I was told somebody was after me"  
"Who"  
"At the time I didn't know, but since then, those Agents have never forgotten me"  
"So were you aware of the truth before that time"  
"No. I was told the truth, like you, once I was freed"  
"But did you have a hunch or something"  
"I knew my mind was stronger than my legs were at running. When you run, you feel your legs working right? When I run I don't feel my legs working. I hardly feel them moving, but my mind works, and my mind moves"  
"Why were you freed"  
"It turns out that I do a whole lot of things with my mind instead of my body. More than most of us can, that's for sure. Why do you ask"  
"Because I don't know why I was freed. I don't know why I'm here"  
"I'm sure you will soon"  
"I hope so."

Akio stopped and looked over the edge, down upon the thousands of rooms below, and up at the thousands of rooms above.

"Thanks for the chat"  
"Sometimes it's all you need, isn't it"  
"It sure is."

* * *

"Ah, look who's back. How was your night"  
"What? My night? It was brilliant. Really... really good"  
"You don't remember any of it, do you"  
"Nothing"  
"It's better that way." 

Nes slapped his hand onto Vidar's back and walked up the ramp back to the Heligo, chuckling at him before walking off to his room and then to the cockpit. Akio had already got a seat there, behind the pilot and co-pilot chairs, and was eagerly looking around at the controls and thinking about the journey ahead.

"How long until we're in position"  
"Akio, we haven't even been cleared through the gate yet"  
"I mean after that"  
"I don't know, an hour maybe. Jee, you're like a kid waiting for a puppy or something"  
"Nah, I'm a cat person"  
"Whatever, man. Just relax."

The call to Zion Control emerged from the speakers giving them clearance, and the Heligo was ready to go.

* * *

An hour passed and as Heimdall had predicted, the Heligo was ready to swing into position in a hole in the sewer system. Akio was already waiting, watching the Matrix, wondering what he would see. 

"The time has come Akio. We're taking you to see the Oracle"  
"What will she say"  
"Whatever she thinks you need to hear."

Forseti motioned to a chair, and this time Akio knew he would not be loaded into the construct and left behind. This trip was all for him.

After a few minutes, Heimdall and Nescio had joined from the cockpit and Vidar had since woken himself up enough to be helpful, and the crew was ready. The time had come. The cold plug slid into Akio's head and locked in place behind it. This was it.

"Did anybody know that I could do this with my eyes closed?"

Everyone but Akio said 'Yes', for everyone but Akio had heard him say that he could do this with his eyes closed.

"Fine. Well, I'm sorry if I hit the 'Delete Vidar' button..."

And with that, the worlds changed.

* * *

The journey was full of questions. Everybody has questions about the Oracle. Who is the Oracle? What will she tell me? What did she tell you? Is she always right? As such, the journey was full of answers, all as mysterious as what Akio had been told he would hear. 

The car stopped outside an apartment building, and Heimdall and Vidar stayed with it. They had no need to follow.

Forseti led Akio into the building and to an apartment door.

"Behind this door is the answer you seek, or at least the only person who can help you find that answer. Open it."

Akio reached down to the metallic door handle and started to grab it, but the door was already opening.

"Welcome, we were expecting you. Come in."

Akio stepped in first and was led to a living room with four children in it, some reading, others playing, but all with a knowledge of the Matrix far beyond that of Akio's. He hardly registered the fact that Forseti wasn't in the room with him when he was called into the kitchen.

"How are you, Akio"  
"Uh, I'm okay"  
"No you're not. You won't be okay until you know why you're here, will you"  
"Yeah. I guess"  
"No, you know. There is no guesswork going on here. Tell me, of all the questions in the entire world, why did you pick 'why am I here"  
"It's all I want answered"  
"Straight to the point, huh? Why were you freed? What are you here to do? What is my purpose? What has made you want to know the answer to this question?"

Akio let his mind focus on why he wanted to know the answer, coming to the conclusion:

"I simply don't know. One day I was standing on the street, the next I'm standing on the rusty metal floor of a hovercraft in a completely different world. Why"  
"You have potential, Akio. Potential to do something big, something important – to make your mark on these worlds that nobody will forget. But you have to figure out what it is, what you can do, and how you will do it"  
"How important"  
"I can't feed you the answers, Akio. You must look elsewhere. You must ask yourself these questions for a change"  
"Does Forseti know about it"  
"He knew enough to get to you before you were lost to them, yes. But why would he have knowledge of your future ahead of his own?"

Akio's questions came to a halt, or the questions about himself did.

"What's going on with Forseti"  
"That's for he and I to discuss in a moment. Rest assured he will be fine. You and your crew don't need to worry. First, he'll have to answer the door."

* * *

There was a knock at the door to the Oracles apartment. Forseti stood up and wondered over to it, looking through to see who was there and seeing a small man with glasses. 

"It's for you, Forseti."

The Oracles voice carried around the halls to the door, where upon Forseti twisted the handle open.

"Ah, hi there, I knew you'd be here sometime today"  
"Who are you"  
"Oh, I am the Keymaker. You are Forseti, yes"  
"Yes"  
"Good, here. Take this."

The Keymaker produced a silver key from his pocket, with a short silver chain trailing behind it.

"I believe Janus told you about it"  
"Janus. Yes, he did. Where is he now"  
"Anywhere he wants to be, I suppose"  
"I right now, I want to be here."

Janus stepped out of a door down the corridor and walked over to Forseti.

"You know where it leads. Just pick a door and unlock it using the key"  
"Thank you, Janus. And thank you for making it"  
"Don't mention it. Anything to help."

The Keymaker nodded, smiled and walked off with Janus to the next doorway, before stepping through, maybe to that apartment, who knows.

"Janus is a good kid isn't he?" The Oracle said as she entered the living room.  
"Yes. He said you told him how to do it"  
"I guided him, yes, as I always do"  
"Remember that, Akio. What you were told will help you on your way"  
"Yeah. I know. Thank you both"  
"Now it's your turn to wait. Come with me, Forseti."

Akio took a seat and reflected on his chat, wondering what the big, important thing will be.

* * *

"Well now. What's up with you? You've had a lot to think about"  
"Did I do the right thing"  
"You saved a life - of course you did the right thing"  
"It's the way they phrased it, that I pushed Akio into making a decision. It was as if I chose the red pill for him. It's even worse that he was going to pick the blue pill before changing his mind"  
"Forseti. What's done is done. Akio has his answer, that's why you brought him here." 

Forseti glanced down at his trinket, now a part of his appearance in the Matrix as well.

"What was the deal they mentioned"  
"Between who"  
"They didn't say, but it was before we had to rebuild Zion"  
"Oh, that deal"  
"You know of it"  
"I sure do. If a human wanted out of the Matrix, they would get out of the Matrix. There would be no battles between Humans and Agents, no war between Zion and the Machine City. Peace, even if the majority of life was still being lied to"  
"Who made it"  
"It does not matter"  
"That's exactly what they said"  
"What do you want to know – what this deal is or who's broken it"  
"I already know that we as humans have broken it. We have freed minds that didn't want to be freed. I have freed Akio believing that he wanted to be freed, but since that time I have been told otherwise"  
"I've already told you there's no changing the past. Go out and change the future."

Forseti stopped and the mood changed.

"You know that's not possible"  
"Of course I do, but it made you stop thinking about Akio, didn't it?"

Forseti let a small smile break across his face.

"It did, yes"  
"Then go and help him on his way"  
"Where will it end"  
"That's for Akio to decide."

* * *

Forseti and Akio got back into the car, and Vidar drove it out onto the road. 

"Vidar, change of plans. Drive to that disused place on the corner"  
"Any reason"  
"Just trying something out."

Vidar followed the captain's orders, eventually pulling into the drive of a disused company building, with boarded up windows and locked metal doors presumably leading to a warehouse area.

Forseti got out of the car and walked over to a doorway leading to the offices and promptly broke in, and soon enough everyone else followed him.

"What are we doing here?"

Heimdall didn't get an answer as Forseti closed a doorway in front of them, locking it. He pulled Janus' key out of his pocket and unlocked the door, opening it to show a completely different room, in size, colour, and furniture.

"Nice... but do you mind telling us what the heck is going on"  
"Follow me. Shut the door behind you."

Everyone got into the room, looking around to see where they were, but nothing could be learned from their surroundings. Forseti walked over to another door and opened it, revealing the white glow of the construct.

He stepped out with Akio following behind.

Just before Heimdall had stepped out, the door they came through opened, and Vidar spun around, weapon drawn and ready.

"Whoa, hey, point that thing some place else, it's me, Janus"  
"How did you get here"  
"This is my room. I can come here whenever I want."

Forseti heard the conversation and walked back to the room.

"Janus. Where is the hard line"  
"You don't need one. You're in the construct. You operator should be able to pull you out of there with no problems."

Forseti got his mobile phone out of his pocket and dialled Nescio.

"Hey, where the heck are you"  
"Calm down, Nes. We're in the construct"  
"What? How"  
"A little help, that's all. Pull us out."

Everyone left inside the room stepped out, and Janus lent out of it into the construct.

"I'll be seeing you then"  
"Perhaps. Thanks again."

One by one, the crew were pulled out of the construct and awoke back aboard to the Heligo, wondering how all of this was possible.


End file.
